Reflect
by Artemis Day
Summary: The man Jane found in the desert was rude, standoffish, and quite literally magic. Though he won't be around for long, he'll leave his impression, just as one strange turn of events have left the greatest impression on him. Lokane.


**A/N: This was written for 100indecisions as part of MCU AU Fest Round 2. It's my excuse to do something I have always wanted to do, which is to write an AU where Thor is the evil one and Loki is the (sort of) good one.**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Tonight was the night. All of her calculations and figures taken from months of tireless research and careful observations confirmed it.

Unless she was wrong—and Jane Foster would contend that she was never wrong no matter what any of those bureaucrats in the scientific community said—anyone looking up at the sky tonight was in for one hell of a show.

Of course, very few people around here would be. Puente Antiguo, for all that it was an ideal location for an astrophysicist minoring in storm chasing, was mostly comprised of apathetic middle aged shop owners with faded dreams and cowboy types more interested in drinking at the bar than any sort of academic pursuit. This was why Jane spent most of her time in the lab and only left once a week to get groceries and a heaping plate of Izzy's special Friday morning pancakes.

And _that_ was why she had garnered a reputation among all those apathetic middle aged shop owners and cowboy types for being a weirdo and a shut in.

Not that Jane cared about that. She was far too busy for such trivialities as other people's opinion of her.

And tonight, she was going to prove all those skeptics wrong anyway. Tonight, she was going to see her life's work validated. She was going to finally earn the respect and recognition she deserved.

So long as she stayed vigilant (and ignored that little 'Mom' sounding voice in her head that repeated a lecture about counting chickens), everything was going to fall into place.

She checked the figures one more time on the tiny laptop she had tricked out to work in her RV. The bigger computer back at the lab would be spitting out a more detailed report for her to review later. The winds were picking up, blowing so hard that Jane thought she felt the RV start to tip. Dropping the laptop, Jane scrambled for the driver's seat. She ensured that the camera mounted on the dashboard was recording, and then she hit the gas.

It was a shame that she was alone in this. In her many daydreams over the years, she always had at least one person around to share in the moment with. It just figured that out of all the times she'd called him, now was the time Erik left his phone off. And of course out of all the weekends she could've picked, this would be the one Darcy took time off to see her friends on. So as Jane drove headlong into a rapidly forming tornado that defied all scientific logic or reason, she regretted that she hadn't tried one more time to reach Erik, or asked Darcy to come back one day earlier to finish all that filing she left behind. She also began to wonder if maybe driving into a logic defying storm that appeared literally from nowhere wasn't a really bad idea.

She spun the steering wheel all the way around, slamming on brakes that no longer obeyed her. She shrieked and spat out a curse as several large rocks lifted from the ground struck the windshield, leaving spider webs of cracks that now she'd have to take money from her already dwindling savings to fix.

 _'You're making a lot of assumptions here, Jane,'_ she told herself. _'First you have to survive this.'_

(And if she didn't, at least she'd leave behind some incredible footage as her legacy.)

The next thing that hit Jane's RV was not a rock. It wasn't anything Jane expected to see in the middle of the storm at all, and when she saw it fly past the window, smash the side hard enough to poke a hole through the wall over the kitchen sink, and then disappear back into the swirling winds out of sight, she felt like screaming again for a whole new reason.

As quickly as it had come, the storm dissipated, furthering the uncanny nature of the phenomenon. Jane's tiny laptop had shorted out thanks to a power surge, and there was a strong possibility she would never get it going again, but she was going to be wading in new information once she got back to the lap.

Assuming she didn't get arrested first.

Because as she ran out of the RV into the desert, towards the oddly shaped black mass half buried in the sand, she could confirm that yes, she had indeed hit a person, and while it might have just been her nerves making her jump to conclusions, he looked pretty well and dead already.

She still begged him not to be.

* * *

 _The day dawned just like any other, except of course that Asgard would see her new king crowned, and a new age of Asgardian rule would be ushered in._

 _The thought of the All-Father stepping down in favor of his son was not one the populace had entertained before a short time ago, when Odin publicly announced his intentions to step down and pass on the crown to Prince Thor. Ever since then, it had been an endless string of invitations and preparations for the pre-coronation and the post-coronation banquets. Frigga had placed Loki in charge of overseeing the coordination of the guests and the seating arrangements. As brother to the future King, it was Loki's job to take on all those little tasks that no one else ever thought of, working from the shadows while Thor basked in the light._

 _Not that he was bitter about it, oh no, he wasn't. Loki was as much a thinker as he was a doer. Perhaps even more. He was a sorcerer, and he did his best work hidden away from the eyes of the masses. If Asgard knew how many wars his so-called Silvertongue had averted before they could get off the ground, they would fall to the ground and kiss his feet every time he passed. That they didn't only meant he was doing his job properly._

 _Here now, he stood at Thor's side, waiting for Odin to make his official proclamation. At the appropriate time, they would step into the great hall of the palace. Loki could keep one step behind the future king, and he would be there at his right hand when Gugnir and it's mighty power was passed on to him. He would take his place as the king's most trusted adviser, just as it was always meant to be._

 _Odin once said that they were both born to be kings, and he may have meant only that they both had what it took to be a king. Whenever Loki thought of that day, sadness washed over him. It felt much the same when Thor looked over, beaming from ear to ear like the innocent child he may once have been, and asked:_

 _"How do I look?"_

 _Loki swallowed back a grimace and checked one more time that portal to Jotunheim was ready to be opened. Then he smiled._

 _"Like a King," he said._

 _And he almost meant it._

* * *

The man wasn't dead, but his breathing was shallow. Whatever kind of armor or body suit he had on would serve him well in the cold of a desert night, but when the sun rose and the heat turned up to eleven, he would be buzzard food by noon. Jane would have to get him to the hospital before sunrise. Luckily, she had at least two more hours before that happened, and she was going to need it. This guy was a lot heavier than he looked. Trying to strip off some of his personal effects proved more impossible than moving him, and she had to give up after nearly slicing her thumb on the crazy horned helmet he wore. That thing, at least, came off without a problem. Jane tossed it off into the sand, telling herself he would either be too grateful to her for saving his life or too incensed at having been struck in the first place to care about losing it.

By the time she had dragged him into the back of her RV on the very convenient ramp she'd never before had a use for, it was quarter to six and the sky was orange. Jane threw on the air conditioner and revved the engine. They were halfway into town when her would-be vehicular manslaughter victim let out a groan.

"Hey, relax back there," Jane called out. She looked over her shoulder fast, to see him rolling around on her unmade bed. She couldn't see his face as he twisted himself into a cocoon, and thought that maybe she should have tried a little harder to get the cape off. "Don't worry, I'll have you at the hospital ASAP."

He grunted, and spoke words that were too muffled to be understood. At least one of them sounded like a 'no.'

"Look, it's going to be all right. I'm gonna get you help, and in return, if you could maybe not press charges-"

"No!"

The man ripped himself free and staggered to his feet, an amazing feat consider how fast Jane was going and how close to death he'd been a few minutes ago.

"Is that no, you won't press charges?" she asked.

"Woman, I haven't the slightest idea what you are talking about, but you must stop this contraption and let me out this instant."

"Excuse me? I hit you... er- you got hit by a truck! You shouldn't even be standing right now, let alone walking."

"Don't presume to know what I should or shouldn't do, mortal. I am already healed of my injuries."

"Oh no, you are not." Jane swerved to avoid a passing troupe of girl scouts. "Five minutes ago, you were half dead, now you expect me to believe you're back to full health based on what, exactly? Force of will?"

"Magic, if you must know."

He must have hit his head in the fall along with the rest of him.

"Yeah, magic, sure."

* * *

 _Magic is what brings the Jotunns to Asgard, to ruin what should be the greatest day of Thor Odinson's life. Magic let them in, and magic gets them out again._

 _Odin's magic, to be specific. No matter how old or how experienced Loki gets, he still always finds himself in awe of the power the All-Father wields. Power no other being in the Nine Realms could ever hope to comprehend._

 _Not even him._

 _Especially not Thor._

 _The ensuing argument is so heated that Loki didn't bother stepping in; he'd only get burned if he tried._

 _"As the King of Asgard," Thor tried to proclaim._

 _"But you are not yet the king," Odin shot him down without a hint of regret or restraint._

 _It was all Thor could talk about for the rest of the day, in between servants hustling foreign dignitaries back to their rooms and cleaning out the banquet hall. They lounged around in Thor's antechamber with his chosen group of comrades, none of whom seemed to know just want to say to appease their prince._

 _"Surely your father still intends to make you king," said Sif, who usually had the second best luck at calming him (after Loki)._

 _"You didn't hear the way he said it." Thor had taken to pacing up and down the room, directionless and without an outlet for his boiling rage. "He thinks me unworthy, all because I wish to seek retribution when those despicable creatures dare to interrupt my ceremony!"_

 _"Well, we still don't know how they got here in the first place," said Fandral._

 _Loki looked down at the floor, at his finest boots that were still covered in dust from the battle._

 _"We will find out soon enough," Thor said. He raised a hand. It took a few moments, but Mjolnir came to him like an obedient pet. With the hammer in his grasp, he didn't quite create the visage of a king, but he certainly looked omnipotent. "Come, all of you, we go to Jotunheim now."_

 _"But Thor-"_

 _"I said NOW!"_

 _And so they followed him out in a single file line, only to fan out and walk three steps behind him upon exiting the palace. Once or twice, Loki felt their eyes on him, like all of them secretly knew what he'd done and hadn't the fortitude to speak it aloud. He hoped it wasn't so. If he had become so transparent, he would be quite ashamed of himself._

 _Regardless, they had nothing to fear of war with the Jotunns or punishment from the All-Father. They would not be leaving the realm this day. There would be no 'explanation' from the Jotunns. That was one thing Loki knew for a fact._

* * *

How he convinced Jane not to take him to the hospital, she really couldn't say. It happened somewhere between him trying to take the wheel from her and that one streetlight she'd been about to crash into disappearing into thin air, then reappearing when she was well beyond it like it had never been gone in the first place.

Instead of the hospital, they ended up back at the lab, where Jane's new guest used a ball of light _from his hand_ to seal the wounds on his face and arms and repair that shattered leg. She watched him do it all with unbridled shock and awe, staring open mouthed like a dog salivating over a hunk of meat. So many questions formed at the base of her throat, it was a wonder she didn't pass out from brain overload. She had always been of the notion that magic was just fairy tale stuff for kids and people with their heads in the clouds, and if there was such a thing, she abided by the teachings of Arthur C. Clarke.

Now here was a guy, who had survived direct contact with an unidentified storm, healing his own injuries in less than an hour using… whatever that was emitting from his hand.

"Is it some kind of magnetic energy?" she asked, more to herself than to him.

He answered anyway. "It's magic."

"Yeah, but… is it a physical manifestation of particles or-"

"It's magic."

"I know, but-"

"It's _magic_! Good grief, woman, do you always ask such ridiculous questions?"

"I don't know, do you always act like a snobby big shot to complete strangers who let you into their homes out of the goodness of their hearts so you don't die in the desert?"

Jane realized far too late that in her moment of indignant she had launched herself halfway over the table, and her face was an inch away from his. And he was very handsome now that she thought about it. Not so much the blonde All-American jock type she usually went for, but more the mysterious, tall dark sexy stranger type. It helped that he really was a stranger. One who may or may not have possessed actual honest to God magic powers, and whom she brought into her home when there was no one else around.

This had not been well thought out.

She checked her side of the secondhand kitchen table for that old blunt knife blade she used to prop up the left side. If worst came to worst, it was better than nothing. She started to gently ease it out of place, holding the table in one hand to prevent him noticing the shift in height.

"I suppose I should thank you," he said, making her jump.

"Thank me?" she asked

"For your hospitality." He drank from the mug of coffee she had made for him, grimaced, then drank again. "Granted, I am used to far better treatment from those aware of my position, but for your lack of knowledge, you have been very kind to me. So for that, I do thank you."

And the award for the weirdest backhanded compliment Jane had ever received goes to…

"It's the least I can do," she said.

She took to fiddling with one of the many pages of data her computer had printed out since the storm. The readings were off the chart, and when she had opened the door, the floor was covered in a sea of printouts. If today had been only slightly less eventful, there would be nothing stopping her from spending the next week and a half combing through every number on every page until every single mystery of that storm was revealed to her.

Jane's head snapped up. Over the table she went once more, and she slammed the nearest printout down in front of his face.

"You were inside this," she said. She dug her finger into the table, heedless of the pain. "You were inside this storm!"

He blinked at her. "You mean the bifrost? Yes, that is typically how one travels where I'm from."

" _You were in there!"_ This time, he jumped, but only a little bit. He didn't seem quite as easily rattled as Jane was. "You have to tell me _everything_."

"Everything about… what exactly?"

Jane gaped, and she could have slapped him for his apathy, as if it was his daily routine to appear in the desert via rainbow colored tornado cloud and _she_ was the strange one for even questioning it.

"Please just tell me how you got in that cloud," she said. "And if you really know what it is, you can also tell me its point of origin, or what its properties are or whether or not its controlled or random-"

"My, aren't you just full of questions," he shouted over her. He was in the middle of checking his arm, presumably for more cuts and bruises he might have missed the first time. "I don't think I've ever met a more inquisitive mortal."

"Okay… first of all, I'm going to ignore that 'mortal' comment, because I'm still trying to process the magic bit." Jane held up one finger, then added another. "Second, since I'm letting you stay here long enough to recuperate, the least you can do in return is give me some answers."

"If I recall, it was your moving vehicle that put me in this state, so it seems to me that I don't owe you a thing."

She gave him a hard look, and whatever anger he sparked with his flippant refusal was stoked higher by the way he smiled, like he was ready to laugh in her face.

But then, his expression turned sad.

"That said... there are a few things I could tell you."

* * *

 _They walked down the path of the bridge, now with Thor and Loki in the lead, side by side like true royalty. Thor has his head held high and the hammer on his belt. He had nothing to fear with an all powerful weapon and a few good soldiers at his side._

 _Or so he would think._

 _Whether or not Heimdall knew they were coming, the gatekeeper stood at the ready, the key to the bifrost clutched in his mighty hands. His stoic face gave nothing away, and sometimes, even Loki couldn't see past those enigmatic eyes. This would be one of those times._

 _"I shall speak to him," Thor said with finality, as if_ he _was the one known across the realms for the magic in his tongue._

 _Loki nodded, the only way he knew to answer. He looked briefly over his shoulder at Sif and Hogun. They were grim in the face, and even Fandral and Volstagg lacked the boisterous glee that preceded all their past battles. What remained in their place were apprehension, and a faint sensation of gloom that hung heavy over their heads. It was almost like they knew what was to come, but that couldn't be possible. They didn't know Loki nearly well enough._

 _But they did know Thor, a small inner voice whispered to him, and that may have been enough._

* * *

"So wait, you're telling me that you belong to a race formerly believed to be gods, and you're here because you fell off the storm?"

"The bifrost," Loki corrected for what felt like the thousandth time. Jane Foster was proving to be an excellent audience and a more intellectual mortal than he'd initially given her credit for, but she was still prone to posing obvious questions and making ardent mistakes in terminology. "And to say I fell is inaccurate. I traveled here it to escape the imminent threat of death after I was pushed through the portal, and since Heimdall was not at his post, I had no set destination. I had to simply hope that I would reach a suitable realm to hide out in for a time before I move on. I can't say I'm pleased that Midgard was chosen for me, but for now, I will make do."

He wouldn't say it, but he was also fairly happy with whom he'd been found by. Her physical attractiveness, though understated compared to the Aesir beauties he was used to, was a great compliment to her strong mind. After a time in her company, he found he didn't mind answering her many questions, and he enjoyed the quiet amazement written across her face as he told his story, but that was another thing he wouldn't say.

"Well, that's all very interesting, Mr. Runaway Alien Prince," she said, like the very idea of his was absurd to her, "but you still haven't explained to me how this bifrost of yours works. I know that it's an Einstein-Rosen bridge, and from there, I need you to fill in the blanks."

That was understandable, but he was a little too busy with his chortling to acquiesce.

"Einstein what?" He laughed even harder when she scowled again. She must not have been aware of how adorable her red, puffy cheeks and childishly crossed arms were. "You mortals certainly have strange ways of explaining things beyond your comprehension."

"For the last time, stop calling me _mortal_ ," Jane snapped. "My name is Jane Foster. Jane Fo- _ster_ , got it?"

"All right, Ms. Fo- _ster_ ," he said, imitating both her enunciation and her pose, just to make her steam up more. "I said I would answer your questions, and I will, but first, there is more to tell."

* * *

 _They entered Heimdall's domain, and Thor stepped in front of Loki, preempting any attempt the second prince might make speak up first._

 _"Heimdall," he said, authoritative in a way Loki had caught him numerous times practicing before a mirror. "We would go to Jotunheim to discover who committed this slight against me."_

 _The gatekeeper stared at Thor, and a lesser man would've cowered before him. His all-seeing eye knew so much more than just what was out in the greater universe. Sometimes, he knew what was inside, too._

 _"My prince, I cannot allow it."_

 _Thor squeezed the head of Mjolnir, not going for the handle just yet, but Loki and the others remained on guard._

 _"Heimdall, as your future king, you have no right to refuse me."_

 _"Forgive me, my prince, but you are not yet the king."_

 _Thor went for the handle._

 _"Then you have no_ reason _to refuse," he said, a horrible false grin marring his features. "I am not here to start a battle. I wish not to war with the Jotunns. I would merely bring the culprit here peacefully to face our good judgement. Surely you see the need to bring the fiend to justice. You must allow me that much."_

 _Heimdall lowered his head. It could be taken as a sign of submission to the prince's will, but Heimdall's expression never changed, nor did his imposing stance._

 _"If that was truly all you wanted, you would be right, and I would not stand in your way, my prince. Don't think I do not wonder how they could have escaped my sight." He shot a glance at Loki, who looked away. "However, if the only way to discover the truth is to let you into Jotunheim, then I must content myself forevermore with the mystery."_

 _Loki could hardly look Thor's way, nor could any of his so-called friends. The grin that first had wavered now transformed into a most hateful glare. The hammer had long since been removed from his belt, and could fly at any second. While they waited, Loki's magic worked to create a quick but powerful shield, held invisible over the opening to the bifrost, just in case Thor did something especially stupid._

 _"I will not ask you again," Thor said through grit teeth. The air around him grew thick and dark._

 _"And I will not say it again. You shall not pass. Now go, prince. There is nothing here for you."_

 _The hammer flew._

 _Sif screamed and Volstagg gasped as Heimdall crumpled to the ground, a huge dent in his armor over his heart. Loki ran to him, all but Thor himself hot on his heels. He rolled Heimdall over, his inert form growing cold though his heart still beat strong through his exposed chest. What remained of the top of his armor was ripped to pieces as Volstagg and Hogun—more learned in emergency medical treatment than anyone outside of Eir and her protegees—tended to him._

 _Loki left them to work, knowing Heimdall would survive the day. They had never quite seen eye to eye, but Loki would never have wanted the gatekeeper to die. Not like this. Not by such pathetic hands._

 _He faced his brother, the seething, hulking form of him rooted to one spot, waiting for one more imagined foe to appear so he could take up Mjolnir from where she rested at his side._

 _"If it's justice you seek," Loki said, "then you needn't go far. You needn't leave Asgard at all."_

 _"What are you saying, brother?"_

 _The way he spoke, and the way his shoulders fell and his rage dulled, Loki thought he might have figured it out finally. It wouldn't surprise him. For all that he mocked Thor for his hardheaded attitude, never had his brother truly lacked intelligence._

 _"I am saying just what you think I am, brother." Loki raised his arms, as if in surrender, though his fingers glowed with a charge of magic. "The one who allowed the Jotunns to end your coronation stands before you now. So what are you going to do?"_

* * *

"You just stood there and gave yourself up to him? Just like that?"

Loki, who had been staring at a white carton of shrimp lo mein like he was worried it would bite him if he ate it, did not look up.

"It was that or I let him kill the rest of them, or worse, find a way to turn the key and access Jotunheim. Tell me, have you ever witnessed a war between the realms, Jane Foster?"

"No."

"You would have."

Jane ate the last bite of her dim sum and threw the empty container in the garbage can. Puente Antiguo's version of Chinese food was about as appetizing as a can of gourmet pet food, but if there was one thing she had learned about living in the desert, it was that you could never be picky about these things. You had to take what you could get.

"Okay, so you told him what you did." She pulled up the chair she'd previously abandoned. "I'm still waiting to hear about how the world traveling thing works, just to refresh your memory."

"Of course."

"So what happened next?" Jane asked. She figured that if she just kept quiet and let him tell the story he wanted to tell, maybe he'd give her what she wanted when he was done.

And maybe she was kind of into this story, too. You know, maybe.

Loki smirked. "What happened next was that… oh, how does that Midgardian phrase go... all hell broke loose."

* * *

 _"You are speaking in jest?" Thor asked. Whether or not he really believed it was of no concern to Loki, but he'd long ago given up hope that anyone, least of all Thor, could see him as anything more than a bothersome trickster._

 _"I am not," Loki said. He stood at the ready, his magic refocused to deflect whatever attack Thor might make. His brother was predictable in most cases, but Loki had a strong feeling this would not be one of them. "I did what was necessary for the good of this realm. It has been clear to me from the start that giving you the crown could end only in tragedy and ruin. You have done nothing to prove me wrong so far."_

 _"What about family, brother?" Thor narrowed his eyes. "Are we not blood? Would you really betray me based on your petty jealousy?"_

 _"Jealousy has nothing to do with it."_

 _"But you admit that it's so!" Thor exclaimed, and the room shook. "You have always been jealous. Don't think I haven't seen it. You have envied me since we were children. I was the one everyone looked to as the future of this realm, while you sulked in the shadows and played your silly tricks. Did you think that if you shamed me before the people, they'd give you the crown instead?"_

 _"It matters not who gets the crown," Loki said, his hands closing into fists and shaking. "So long as it isn't you, Asgard will carry on. You've heard what father said, Thor. You are not the king, and as long as I live, you never will be."_

 _Thor let out a roar, and charged at Loki. The hammer was forgotten. Everything was forgotten as Thor went on base instincts and reached bare handed for Loki. His arms went through him. The illusion was quick and sloppy, not at all up to par with Loki's usual standards, but when he had to think on his feet and keep Thor busy, it would have to do. Loki first checked Heimdall, making sure he was well and ready to be transported, then the gatekeeper vanished with a wave of Loki's hands, into Eir's capable hands._

 _Now relieved of their duties to keep their comrade alive, the four warriors of Asgard placed themselves at Loki's sides, staring down Thor with no fear, but much regret._

 _"Please Thor, it doesn't have to come to this," Sif called out, eyes filling with tears._

 _"Be silent!" the first prince shouted. He threw out one hand to call for Mjolnir. "If you choose to side with the traitor, then so be it. You will all die by my… my…"_

 _Thor looked behind him, at his outstretched hand that curled around air. It was all the way out, pointed so that his bulky arm covered Mjolnir from view. It was when he lowered it that Loki could see it sitting stationary, unmoved from where Thor left it after his first treacherous attack. It was with slowly dawning horror that Thor stalked to it, took the handle in hand and pulled, pulled with all his might until his boots sank into the rainbow bridge floor. But hard as he tried, t_ _he hammer wouldn't move._

 _A groan become a growl as Thor struggled in vain, while all around Loki, Sif, and the Warrior's Three lowered their weapons. They looked to Loki, as if he could explain. As if this was his doing. He would be almost sad to admit that it wasn't. That this was all Thor. He knew no one would want to believe it, what he had known for centuries to be true._

 _"That's it." Loki closed his eyes and lowered his head. "It has happened at last. You've sat on the edge of worth and disgrace for so long, and now finally you have fallen to one side."_

 _He walked closer to Thor, whatever minuscule fear he once held was gone. There was nothing to fear from a creature like this._

 _"It's over, Thor. You are unworthy."_

* * *

"Wow, this is crazy."

"Wait until you hear what happened next."

* * *

 _The roar Thor let out was one of rage, pain, confusion, and sadness all rolled into a single, pitiful sound that carried from the bifrost to the end of the bridge where the whinny of a horse and four pairs of galloping hooves rang out over Thor's voice._

 _The cavalry was on its way, and in the form of the one Thor would want to see the least in this state. If there was anything in him of what Odin hoped there would be, he would come to understand how necessary all of this was. If Loki could dare be hopeful, maybe this would be the way Thor finally started to grow-_

 _A hand crushed his windpipe. Loki gasped, but couldn't find breath. He clawed at the hand, brimming with feral power as its owner rose to his feet and took Loki with him. He kicked out his legs a foot in the air. He should have used magic to make Thor let go, and knew it even then his thoughts so clouded, b_ _ut the first thing every mage learned when they began their training was this: proper use of magic comes only through a clear and focused mind._

 _Whatever he could conjure up was wild and flew sporadically through the air, crashing into the domed tower and leaving holes in its wake. A dozen or so had the structure groaning and sinking. Loki's conserves of air had long since run out, and he didn't know what was taking Odin so long._

 _"I won't be king as long as you live?" Thor hissed, as monstrous as the snarl on his face. "Then you'll just have to die."_

 _"Thor, stop it!"_

 _Sif rushed at him with her spear and a shaken resolve. It spelled defeat for her before she could strike a blow. One hit with his free hand, and she was down, blood gushing from her nose. The next one to come was Fandral, and he went straight to her. He knew when to choose his battles._ _Thor dispatched him regardless. One throw sent him flying into the wall, halfway through one of holes Loki made. He stayed there, unconscious, and soon he was joined by his comrades, not one of them a match for Thor, hammer or no._

 _Taking care of them meant letting up on the pressure to Loki's neck, if only just. It was enough that Loki could think, and in that burst of clarity he pinpointed the weak spot in Thor's vision and sent a single blast of magic into his eye._ Through _his eye._

 _With a howl of pain, Thor clutched his face, releasing Loki to land gracelessly on his feet. Odin called their names in the distance, concern laced in his tone that Loki couldn't place as more for one or the other._

 _"If you think you can destroy me so easily, Thor…" he said, as Thor raised his one good eye to glare heatedly at him. "We are not the little boys we once were, and I will not lose to you."_

 _"This isn't about winning or losing anymore," Thor said hoarsely. "This is no longer a duel. Now, i_ _t's a hunt."_

 _He threw himself at Loki. His bigger body slamming into his and sending him flying. Unlike those who fell before him, Loki did not risk falling from the edge of the bifrost. Rather, he went right into it, breaking through his own shield to fall through the portal. The light of the active tunnel consumed his vision as its power took hold of him. The last he saw of Asgard was Odin on Sleipnir entering the half ruined tower, and Thor, his face and teeth bloody, watching him go with a hearty laugh._

* * *

"And so my trip through the bifrost brought me here, and it is here I remain until Thor finds me again, which I assure you he will, if he hasn't already."

"What are you going to do in the meantime?" Jane asked.

Loki smirked, and Jane felt like kicking herself for how her stomach did a flip flop ( _'come on, Jane, the guy is either completely insane or way out of your league'_ ).

"If it's all right with you, I might stay here for a time."

He crossed one leg over the other and leaned back, looking far too comfortable.

"By here do you mean 'earth' or… you know, _here_ here?"

She jabbed her fingers at the floor to emphasize her point, and suddenly, she didn't like that smile of his quite so much anymore. Before it had been endearing, now he looked like he was playing games with her.

"I suppose that would depend on you, wouldn't it?"

He stood up, and closed the short amount of space between them with two long steps. Some deep, dark, 'lovestruck teenager' side to Jane thought (nay, _hoped_ ) that he would pull her into his arms and she parted her lips accordingly. If it was written in the stars, it would mean that his dark, lidded eyes meant everything the romance novels said they were supposed to, but it would also mean that the random clap of thunder rolling in outside the lab wouldn't have made him click his tongue and move away.

While Jane stood cold and alone, Loki walked to the window, expression grave and shoulders tightening.

"What's wrong?" Jane asked. "It's just a little thunder."

"Yes, but I'm not overly fond of what follows." He started for the door. "Forgive me, Jane Foster, but our time to part ways has come sooner than I'd hoped."

"Wait- what?" Jane darted after him, somehow getting to the door before he could and blocking it with her body. "You can't just walk out of here after all of that like it's nothing!"

"I can when staying would pose a danger to you and your realm," Loki said. "Normally, I wouldn't care, but I don't think dragging Midgard into Asgard's personal business is going to be constructive for anyone. Best I go now and save you all the trouble."

"But you haven't even told me anything about the Einstien-Rosen bridge!"

"I certainly have," Loki said, once more mocking her tone. "I've told you its proper name is bifrost, and you've refused to use it ever since."

If he thought that would dissuade her, he was sorely mistaken. The thunder boomed, and it was becoming apparent that Loki wasn't lying as the force of the storm made the ground below her feet shake. Still, she wouldn't budge.

"Will you come back?" she asked.

Loki rolled his eyes. "You are a truly impossible woman, but yes, you don't need to make me promise. I had already resolved return to you just as soon as I've shaken him off."

"Oh yeah? And how can I trust you?"

She put her hands on her hips, hopefully a universal sign of how serious she was. Her arms slackened as he took her by the shoulders, and bent down to lightly, briefly, but ever so sweetly claim her lips with his. The contact had Jane's toes curling, her body seizing, and her mouth going dry, but when he let go, the motion was so swift that she wondered if she hadn't imagined it all.

"I will return," he said softly in her ear, "because though we have only just met… I find I like you quite a lot, Jane Foster."

He didn't let go, though for a moment, Jane thought he would. She was soon glad that he hadn't, as her body began to feel heavy and her eyelids drooped. Exhaustion that couldn't have been natural overtook her higher brain functions, shutting them down as he lifted her in the air, and then dropped her on something soft that she couldn't place. His last words to her before the world went black were lost, but when Jane thought back later on, when she was wide awake and alone and the sun was down and there was an all new wave of data awaiting her perusal, was that it sounded a bit like 'sleep well.'

* * *

"Holy crap, Jane, I really picked the wrong weekend to take time off, didn't I?"

Darcy Lewis sat with her feet propped up on the table, in Loki's seat, as Jane couldn't help but notice.

"You know, I was thinking the same thing myself," Jane muttered, though to be perfectly honest, she'd forgotten about her intern's absence somewhere around the time Loki came.

"Seriously though, if I hadn't seen all that crazy stuff on your computer, I wouldn't have believed it. But you really had an alien in here! And not just any alien, but a hot Prince Charming alien!"

"Well, he was charming in his own way," Jane said, "but not exactly Prince Charming."

"Eh, apples and oranges." Darcy shifted to face the lab, and her shoes smudged up Jane's good place mats. "I just don't get why he had to leave in such a hurry. You sure he wasn't bullshitting you with all that psycho evil brother talk?"

"If you heard the story from his mouth, you wouldn't be asking that question," Jane said, ducking over the monitor.

"Why does that sound suspiciously like deflecting?"

"Don't you have filing to do? And get me some coffee."

There was a sigh and a grumble ("Why am I nothing but the coffee girl around here?") as Darcy slid her feet off the table and left the room. Jane kept typing long after she was gone, though research was for once the farthest thing from her mind. All the data from last week had been carefully cataloged and a copy had been emailed to Erik to get his point of view. While she waited on his response, Jane checked her equipment for the tenth time in an hour, but nothing they tracked was out of the ordinary for a sunny spring day in the New Mexico desert.

Another day spent. That was eight so far.

Not that Jane was getting impatient (okay, maybe a little). She really didn't know what went into running from an angry brother who thought of you as prey. He could be halfway across the universe right now, with nothing on his mind but running a little faster and creating one more diversion.

That was why it was strange for Jane that she really did trust him. She really did believe he would return. Her lips still tingled every now and then when she thought of his kiss.

She walked to the door where they said their goodbyes, and she looked at the sky, and she waited. While she waited, she would keep to her work. And while she worked, she'd keep a notepad at her side to write down every new discovery she made and every new question that came of it.

When he came back, they were going to have a lot to talk about.


End file.
